Ottawa Rough Riders great Maurice Racine dies at age 80

The Canadian Press

Published: Mar 04 at 8:50 a.m.

Updated: Mar 05 at 2:45 p.m.

CFL great Maurice Racine has died at the age of 80, the Ottawa Redblacks have announced.

Racine won four Grey Cup championships with the Ottawa Rough Riders in the 1960s and 70s. Inducted into the Canadian Football Hall of Fame in 2014, the Cornwall, Ont., native played 17 seasons for the Rough Riders as both an offensive lineman and kicker — earning the nickname "Moe the Toe."

"Maurice was an Ottawa football hero," said John Ruddy, the Ottawa Redblacks' governor. "His love of the game and commitment to it are borne out by his longevity, his Grey Cup rings and the many friends he made in football and our community. On behalf of the Redblacks, I'd like to express our sincere condolences to the Racine family and everyone whose lives were touched by Moe. He was a good guy and he'll be missed."

Racine holds the Ottawa Rough Riders' team records for most regular season games played (201), most playoff games played (36) and most Grey Cup games played (5).

He began his association with the Ottawa franchise as a water boy in the early 1950s before growing into the six-foot-four frame that would carry him and the team to glory in the 60s and 70s.

He won a CFL Eastern Conference scoring championship in 1966 with 71 points and only missed nine games during his 17 seasons as an offensive guard and kicker.

Racine's No. 62 was retired by the Rough Riders in 1974 and re-retired by the Redblacks when they entered the CFL in 2014.